India vs West Indies
Preview by Vishaal Loganathan
India had the near-complete performance in the inaugural Test against hosts West Indies in Antigua. The captain, Virat Kohli led the way with a superb maiden double hundred. Shikhar Dhawan found form at the top of the order with a fighting fifty. Ravichandran Ashwin was promoted to number six, and he repaid the faith with his third Test hundred. The fast bowlers then came to the party to help India enforce the follow-on, while the spinners wrapped up the job in the third and final innings of the match.
Speaking after the match Kohli called the match "probably the perfect finish which every team looks for."
In Jamaica, where the second Test begins on Saturday (July 30), the team will not only look to maintain its dominance over Jason Holder's side, but also try and fix whatever little needs fixing. A two-nil lead will ensure the Indian team doesn't lose the series, it will also become the first time the Indian side has won two Tests in a single series in the Caribbean. Kohli's side looked a well-oiled machine that has been built to win, but they will have to ensure complacency doesn't become an issue.
For the West Indies, the only way is up. In Antigua, they looked dispirited, uninspiring and, at times, even uninterested. They received a hammering while bowling, and were twice bowled out for sub-par scores on a batsman-friendly wicket.
The decision to go in with only two front-line bowlers rose a few eyebrows, and they should quickly resort to a four-bowler theory in Jamaica. Alzarri Joseph has been drafted into the side and should straightaway make his Test debut. Joesph is only 19, but as Marlon Samuels said, he's fit, fast and fearless, and will bring in a refreshing change to the dibbly-dobblies that prevail in the current West Indies attack. Miguel Cummins, too, should get the chance to play, making the West Indies bowling attack a raw and exiting one.
The pitch at Sabina Park wears a green tinge, much like the one at Antigua, but it could have more juice to trouble the batsmen than the one at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium did.
When: West Indies vs India, 2nd Test - July 30- Aug 3, 10:00 Local, 20.30 IST
Where: Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
What to expect: The pitch is expected to be more pacer-friendly than the one at Antigua, and the fast bowlers will be expected to revel. A 60% chance of rain on the first three days of the Test is likely to skew the balance in the bowlers' favour.
Team News:
India: KL Rahul will replace the injured Murali Vijay in the playing XI. Ravindra Jadeja could be in line to replace Amit Mishra if Virat Kohli prefers the kind of bowler who can hold one end up for long periods.
West Indies: Alzarri Joseph should be back in the side and add bite and sting to the line-up. Cummins could be in with a chance, too, but the inclusion of both the pacers would mean the sacrifice of two batting options. Jermaine Blackwood, who bagged a pair in the first Test, or Roston Chase will have to give way to one of the pacers.
Quotes:
"We have a simple goal, we want to win every Test. The goal is to win the series. Going ahead we want to be the No.1 test team in the world."
- Cheteshwar Pujara underlines the short-term and long-term plans of the team ahead of the Jamaica Test.
"I not only have to stand up and score a fifty or a hundred, I have to actually bat through the innings, because I'm playing a role where I'm batting at four."
- Marlon Samuels on the pressures of being a senior in a transitional young side.
Did you know?
- West Indies openers average 16.34 per partnership since Jan 2015, the lowest for any team. They are the only team not to register a 50+ stand in this period.
- India have won their last two Tests at Sabina Park - in 2006 and 2011. They have won three Tests at only one overseas venue - Queens Park Oval in Port of Spain.
- If Alzarri Joseph is selected, he would become only the second West Indies fast bowler after Jerome Taylor (18y 363d) in 2003 to make his debut in his teens since 1940.
Teams:
India (From): Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Stuart Binny, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur
West Indies (From): Kraigg Brathwaite, Rajendra Chandrika, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Jermaine Blackwood, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich(w), Carlos Brathwaite, Jason Holder(c), Devendra Bishoo, Shannon Gabriel, Leon Johnson, Miguel Cummins, Alzarri Joseph
www.cricbuzz.com/live-cricket-scores/167...-of-west-indies-2016 
